Families

THE TOPIC TEAM Parenting experts and guest panelists who helped this week: Denise Continenza, family living specialist for Penn State's Lehigh County Cooperative Extension, South Whitehall Township. Rochelle Freedman, program coordinator for Project Child, a program of Valley Youth House. Marcie Lightwood, parenting educator, Bethlehem. Bill Vogler, executive director of Family Answers, Allentown. Help for Families is a collaboration between The Morning Call and parenting professionals brought together by Valley Youth House's Project Child.

Last month, when Archbishop Charles Chaput told an audience that Pope Francis would come to Philadelphia in 2015, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hastily issued a statement saying the visit was unconfirmed. But now, another prelate has confirmed the visit: Pope Francis himself. On Thursday, en route to South Korea, the pontiff replied "Si" when NBC News reporter Anne Thompson asked if he would visit Philadelphia at any point. The pope went on to mention the World Meeting of Families, which will be held in the city Sept.

The family and children of Army Spc. Adam Keys and Spc. Jesse Reed would like to express our deepest appreciation to everyone who helped in making our first fundraiser on Oct. 16 a huge success. This success could not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers and the community. Thank you also to each of you who attended or made a donation. One hundred percent of your donations will go directly to the immediate family and children of these two heroes. We cannot express how moving it was to see hundreds of people come together to show their support.

Join Buddy and the other dinosaurs from the Jim Henson hit series "Dinosaur Train" for a ride Aug. 16, 17, 23 and 24 in Phillipsburg. Delaware River Railroad is hosting the event, with train rides patterned after the PBS cartoon series. A 20-minute ride will take kids to the Nature Trackers activity area, where they can explore, play and learn about life science, natural history and dinosaurs. The railroad has built a Dinosaur Train village near the site of its Ol' Susquehanna Mine.

Thank you, Morning Call, for your articles on health care and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on Pennsylvania. I strongly support the Medicaid expansion for Pennsylvania. During my career as a public health administrator in another state that provides more expansive Medicaid benefits than Pennsylvania, I watched proper health care break the cycle of poverty for many families. As their health stabilized and improved, thanks to preventive health care and early treatment, they were able to work, to progress to better jobs and to gain health benefits and retirement security.

South Mall is hosting a Family Expo on Saturday, August 24. Local business owners are invited to set up booths as vendors at the mall to show off their products and services geared toward families. The expo will be held in the South Mall common area from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Contact Rachel Berosh at 610-791-3090 from 9-5 Monday through Friday to become a vendor.

Mystic Thomas Merton once wrote, "The biggest human temptation is settle for too little. " Parents of intellectually challenged children and young adults in the Slate Belt region often settle for too little these days. We settle for too little in meaningful programs, too few resources and nearly nonexistent local services once our children become adults. Without attention to our community by providers, our young adults face a bleak future. Recently a service provider said to me, "It is like a game of espionage out there.

A fire Sunday afternoon displaced two families from their twin homes in the first block of School Street in Catasauqua. The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley provided lodging, meals, clothing and personal care items to five adults. They were called to respond shortly after 3 p.m. Catasauqua fire officials were not available for comment. —Jenna Portnoy

The majority of funds raised at a family picnic on Saturday in Northampton will be donated to five area families, including two families who lost loved ones in the past year. The event will include a motorcycle ride, all-you-can-eat picnic, performances by area bands, door prizes and basket raffles, said Rick Nauman, one of the organizers of the Lehigh Valley Community Benefit. Nauman, and his girlfriend, Tricia Brown, first formed the fund-raiser after the 2010 Northampton quadruple slayings, to benefit the families of victims Denise Merhi and Steve Zernhelt.

Seven families totaling 18 people were affected in an early-morning fire Sunday in Bethlehem, according to the American Red Cross. Bethlehem firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire at 546 Montclair Ave. around 5:15 a.m. The Red Cross reported that it provided temporary lodging, meals, clothing, toiletry items and stuffed animals to the seven families living at 544, 546, 548, 550 and 552 Montclair Avenue. No other details on the fire were available.

On Friday night, the Earl E. Schaffer Municipal Ice Rink in Bethlehem will roar to the sound of roller derby, which is always a fun thing to watch but in this case will also be an occasion to help a family struggling with a loss. Derby skater Beth Carson of Mohnton, Berks County, died of breast cancer May 20, leaving behind her husband of 10 years, Addam, and two children, Isabella, 14, and Aidan, 9. She was 34 and had been battling the disease for two years. To help her family with funeral expenses and other needs, including back-to-school clothing, Carson's team, the Reading Derby Girls, and the Lehigh Valley-based Two Rivers Roller Derby, organized Friday's fundraiser.

Join Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves in an Indian jungle, when Allentown Public Theatre presents "The Jungle Book" Friday through Sunday and Aug. 15-17 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Allentown. The hourlong show, a modern adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's stories by Tim Kelly, features an adult cast and offers plenty of opportunities for kids in the audience to participate as monkeys, elephants, wolves and other animals. Directed by Marcie Schlener, the production has transformed the church's fellowship hall at 417 N. Seventh St. with hanging vines and jungle flowers that are truly "green.

A fire that broke out in a section of two-story brick row homes in East Stroudsburg early Tuesday forced a couple to jump from a roof to safety and displaced six families who are receiving emergency assistance from the area American Red Cross chapter. Angela Andriulli, who lives across from the damaged buildings on Lackawanna Avenue, said she heard sirens about 12:30 a.m. and smelled the fire coming from the area of the six homes. "The police were getting everyone out of the building," Andriulli said.

An Allentown man testified Tuesday he and his family returned home one day last month to find an intruder in their kitchen. Buddy Wagner said he heard his fiancee scream July 12 when she saw the man dressed in all black in his kitchen, rummaging through their cupboards. The intruder, later identified as Purnell M. Hatcher, fled the home in the 1100 block of Linden Street and Wagner gave chase, keeping a safe distance because he noticed a sharp object in the man's hand. "I had to think of my safety for my kids," he said.

Throughout seven years of disappointment of being a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and not garnering enough support for selection, Andre Reed repeated the same sentiment. "I feel bad, but not for myself," he said every year. "I feel bad for my family because I know how much it would mean to them. I want this for them. " And when, finally, his moment came in February in New York City, one of Reed's first calls was to his family, which, as usual, had gathered for a party back in the Lehigh Valley.

Run Wild at Lehigh Valley Zoo in a charitable fun walk, 5K and 10K race at 8 a.m. Aug. 17. This is the zoo's sixth annual race throughout Trexler Nature Preserve, 4931 Orchard Road, Schnecksville, according an event brochure. The fee is $30 for 5K and 10K runners, $15 for walkers or $30 for family walking groups, the brochure said. Deadline to register is August 2. The form is available online at: http://www.lvzoo.org/pdf/Run-Wild-Brochure.pdf

The Eastern Pa. Down Syndrome Center would like to thank all those in the community who took part in the 12th Annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk on Sept. 24 at Valley Preferred Cycling Center, Breinigsville. This event continues to grow each year and was attended by more than 900 participants, entertainers and volunteers this year. Ninety-five percent of the funds raised through this event stays in the Lehigh Valley to support programs for families and individuals influenced with Down syndrome.

Three families were displaced in a Saturday morning fire in Bethlehem, authorities said. The two-alarm blaze was reported at 10:15 a.m. fire at 3681 Township Line near Route 22, a Bethlehem fire official said. No one was injured. Three families, including six adults and three children, were being assisted with food, clothing and lodging by the American Red Cross Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter.

AtBethlehem Township's Kingfish, fish is king, and fish served here is fit for a king. That's no surprise considering that co-owners Randy and Cheryl Beck also own the popular Beck's Land & Sea House in Bushkill Township. Kingfish opened about two weeks ago, replacing The Villa, which closed in May. Seafood has a special lure, and co-owner and executive chef Cale Beck, the Becks' son, knows how to make the best out of what's already a good thing. My dinner at Kingfish, less than a week after its opening, was excellent.

A Bethlehem family of four was displaced Friday afternoon when a fire damaged a South Side apartment house, officials said. The blaze broke out at 552 Monclair Ave., near Summit Street, heavily damaging an apartment in the three-unit building. The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley provided food, temporary lodging and transportation to a family of three adults and one child. — Frank Warner